Here's some tips to improving your test taking skills
1) Attend study sessions and reviews for your exam. This is a good way to focus on learning the material that you don't understand. Working with other students who are actively trying to learn the material will help you learn and retain that information better.
2) Take practice exams. If your professor provided you with a practice exam or a previous exam that he used for a different test, make sure you take the exam and study the questions. Chances are there will be a lot of the same questions or similar ones. Also the grade you get on the practice exam will reflect how much you need to study for the one you have coming up.
3) Make sure you are familiar with your teachers testing style. If you haven't tested with this particular professor before, communicate with him and figure out what kind of question that he'll be asking, how much are each question worth, and will it consist of multiple choice, true or false, or essay questions.
4) Get a good night's sleep and a hardy breakfast before your exam. You don't want to spend all night cramming for the exam, study periodically the week before the exam and you'll find your self very prepared. Get a full nights sleep before your exam so you can be mentally ready for your exam. Eat a good breakfast before you leave is important too. You want to be content while taking your test, not with a growling stomach starving for some food.
5) While taking your exam, read each question FULLY and CAREFULLY. Sometimes I skim a question because I think I know the answer just by reading part of it. But you do not want to do this. Some questions are designed to make you think or deceive you. So make sure you understand what the question is asking before you decide on a answer.
6) Narrow down the answers to each question. Generally there is two answers that are completely unrelated to what the question is asking. Locate those answers and cross them off. Now you are down to a pair of answers to decide from. And if you are not positive on the answer, then you can make a good educational guess out of those two or three choices.
7) If you are confused by a question don't be afraid to ask your professor. Most likely your professor will explain what the question is asking further and point you in the right direction.
8) Once you finish your exam, review your answer to each question. Sometimes we overlook a question and make stupid mistakes. You want to review your exam and locate the stupid mistakes you made or the questions you had second thoughts on.
